How to Sharpen a Knife to Shaving Sharp...

[Storm Crow]

...The Simple (Not to Be Confused With Easy) Way, in Three Fits.

Fit the First:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjrAg8QD_Wo

Fit the Second:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVaY73pQvWU

Fit the Third:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqlesHOOjpE

[Primordial]

That's impressive how you're able to achieve such a sharp edge with such minimal equipment. Excellent demonstration of how a little skill and practice can replace expensive sharpening systems. Freehand sharpening like that is definitely a skill that I'd like to acquire eventually.

Two questions though:

1. Is the "fine" Arkansas stone you used in your video considered hard or soft grade? I have a Arkansas stone that was sold as a "Soft Arkansas Stone" and I was wondering if I should look at getting a hard graded stone to compliment it or if I could theoretically get similar results to yours are by going straight from a soft Arkansas stone to a strop?

2. How much pressure are you using when honing on the fine stone? From the look and sound of it you are using a fair amount more then just the weight of the blade.

Thanks for taking the time to post that demonstration.

[Afromonk]

I like it man, interesting style
Not gunna replace my sharpmaker though

[raptor]

A great and useful post.Thank you for sharing it.

Knife sharpening is skill that eludes many people. It is an art as well as a skill.

[Storm Crow]

Thanks, guys.

Primordial - No idea whether my Arkansas stone is hard or soft. As I understand it, a soft stone tends to eat the metal away more quickly and also wears away more quickly itself. A hard Arkansas stone wears the steel away more slowly and leaves a finer finish on the edge, which means it is smoother, with fewer micro-serrations. Some materials apparantly benefit from a toothier edge, and some benefit from a smoother edge. Shaving your face, you definitely want a smooth edge, while cutting meat might be better with a toothy edge. Personally, I wouldn't worry too much with that detail until you have the process down. After you can consitently shave hair off your arm, you can begin playing with different stones and styles and nailing down what works for you. This is a really basic method that gets a good working edge, but you can get sharper. Get to this point and then you can decide if you want to go further.

I've seen a Smith's brand 3 stone setup for about $22 down at Academy sports that should let you get the process down without shelling out much money. They also carry the same coarse (they call it medium) stone I used in the video and an Arkansas stone on a plastic base as well for about $13 each. I'd steer clear of stones like you find at places like Home Despot, as those are really coarse and not intended to put on a fine cutting edge.

As for the pressure, it is not too hard and not too light. I'll try to explain a bit more than that. Too light of a pressure and the knife just glides over the stone without losing much if any steel. Too hard and you end up rolling a wire edge easily and making it difficult to move the blade across the stone. So, you want to balance it between those two. Hard enough for the stone to actually abrade the steel, not hard enough that it's making it hard to move the blade across the stone.

[maldon007]

I havent looked at the stuff yet, but THANK YOU! I have been meaning to post & ask some of you knife maker guys about this. Sometimes I get great results with one way or another, sometimes I cant get rid of that edge fold thingy... Sometimes it seems like I might as well have run the edge over a rough rock... Cant wait to learn some real shit!


Edit: Finished the vids, going out to get some stones as soon as the stores are open
Too cheap?- http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsea ... ning+stone

Again, thanks you!

[Afromonk]

Edge fold? do you mean Burr?
I get rid of mine through stropping in various grits on wooden backed leather

[Primordial]

Storm Crow,

Thanks for the reply. Your advice to master the technique before I worry about getting different stones is probably sound. Like I said, I have a soft Arkansas stone but I just haven't used it much, so I'm not sure how fine an edge it can give a knife. My first attempts using it were not very impressive. Probably more user error then anything else.

Since then I mostly sharpen knives with a cheap aluminum oxide stone and a homemade jig that holds the stone at an angle so I can just bring the knife straight down along the stone (sort of like a Spyderco Sharpmaker). I then knock off the burr with a Lansky "V" type ceramic rod sharpener (also similar to the sharpmaker, but not as good). This method gets knives slicing paper cleanly but not really arm-hair-shaving sharp. I should really get to work with that Arkansas stone, my strop, and some of the numerous dull kitchen knives around here and try to get that technique down.

[Storm Crow]

Maldon007 - $15 isn't something to quibble over here. I undertand being broke, but it's a matter of spending an extra $15 on something that will work adequately or being out $10 because the one you bought was crap. I have bought the Harbor Freight double stones to have extra around for students to do the coarse sharpening, and they suck terribly. I'd wager the difference in price that the 3 stone set from Harbor Freight ain't much better. Seriously, less than $25 at Academy should set you up with something that can get hair-cutting and ready to strop to hair-shaving. I shop Harbor Freight, but not for much of their inventory.

As for the edge fold thingy, I'm supposing you are referring to the burr or wire edge. I addressed it in the video, but as a re-cap: Put the side the bur is rolled towards down on the stone and take light single strokes, feeling after each one to tell when you've gotten rid of it. Sometimes it's one stroke, sometimes it's a dozen.

Primordial - If you're going to work dull kitchen knives, go ahead and get yourself a coarser stone. Use it to re-establish the secondary bevel, then move on to your Arkansas. Actually, the aluminum oxide stone may do the trick. Don't get stingy with whichever lubricant you're using. Water can be kind of messy since it rolls off the stone, but don't let your stone get dry.

I've noticed that a lot of students (and myself, occasionally) hold the blade too flat when sharpening. You don't want to match the angle of the primary bevel, but the secondary.

The trick about feeling the edge with your fingerprint is probably one of the more important bits of information in the videos, and not one I've ever seen someone talk about. At least not why and what to feel for. I figured that one out on my own, eventually.

Practice and patience will make all the difference. It was worth going to my 10 year reunion just to see the loudmouth jock's mouth drop open in shock when I demonstrated shaving a swathe of hair in a swipe with my work knife.

[Shaper]

Great post, SC!

[maldon007]

Fine, I can't totally cheap out... maybe this? http://www.acehardware.com/product/inde ... 0000279794


Another question, obviously you are sharpeing good steel there... What about the crap 440 stainless that most of my blades are made of, any different technique? (other than throwing them away, that is)

Thanks!

[Fixxxer]

Another question, obviously you are sharpeing good steel there... What about the crap 440 stainless that most of my blades are made of, any different technique? (other than throwing them away, that is)

I regularly sharpen crap stainless knives for work. His method is the exact same method I use.

Don't get stingy with whichever lubricant you're using. Water can be kind of messy since it rolls off the stone, but don't let your stone get dry.

A decent compromise I've found to deal with the messiness outside of the shop is to place your stone on a 2x4 that you've cut to stand over your kitchen sink. This way, all the excess water or oil goes down the drain instead of onto your floor.

[Storm Crow]

Maldon007 - Getting closer, certainly. My only complaint here is that in my experience, somewhat wider stones (I think mine are in the vicinity of 2-3 inches wide) are going to be easier to work on. My coarse synthetic from Smith's actually came with a small Arkansas. It works ok, but is just awkward due to small size. I put it in my basic outdoors kit and use my bigger Arkansas the rest of the time. The three stone set from Smith's that I saw in Academy back in the summer had good-sized stones and was two or three dollars more than the set you linked to.

As for crappy stainless blades, I recently used this same method to sharpen a crappy stainless kitchen knife for my landlady. Shaved when I was done. How long it would hold that edge, who knows?

A decent compromise I've found to deal with the messiness outside of the shop is to place your stone on a 2x4 that you've cut to stand over your kitchen sink. This way, all the excess water or oil goes down the drain instead of onto your floor.

Good idea!

[Sealegs]

Sharpening btw is excellent "child labor" if you wan't to activate your kids.

Me and my brother sharpened pretty much everything at home, the scythe, kitchen knives, scissors etc when we watched the telly before bed. Wonder how that'd fly with the social services today?

For added super sharpening draw gently over the top of a car window. Not very high speed low drag but it's a cheapo finishing touch. If you have a car.

Edit because I thought I'd try and find someone silly enough to do it.
Ray Mears in glorious action [Wearing a Swedish surplus m/58 shirt I believe.] He does the car window thing but that was the only example I found. Maybe I'm just the odd man out on that one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPRiJ_YnSCI

Edited yet again:
I do the window thing to abrade the edge, giving it a bit o roughness to it catches better when working wood.

[xombiechow]

Tagged! Very cool.

[elkhills]

Nice, thanks for the tips! I didn't know leather stropping made such a difference- I'm gonna try it. You have to have the "Chrome" polish?

[maldon007]

I was going to ask that too... I use a polishing wheel, and was wondering if that polish was the same as, say stainless polish, or some other polish I might have already.

[Afromonk]

For added super sharpening draw gently over the top of a car window. Not very high speed low drag but it's a cheapo finishing touch. If you have a car.

Edit because I thought I'd try and find someone silly enough to do it.
Ray Mears in glorious action [Wearing a Swedish surplus m/58 shirt I believe.] He does the car window thing but that was the only example I found. Maybe I'm just the odd man out on that one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPRiJ_YnSCI

No your not the only one, i've seen this before a few times, and this Ray mears clip.
Some people also use the coarse bottom of a mug as well, or a ceramic flower vase.
it serves the same purpose as "steeling" your knife.
I have a proper steel and don't really use it that much anyway preferring to strop instead

[Sealegs]

No your not the only one, i've seen this before a few times, and this Ray mears clip.
Some people also use the coarse bottom of a mug as well, or a ceramic flower vase.
it serves the same purpose as "steeling" your knife.
I have a proper steel and don't really use it that much anyway preferring to strop instead

Hehe good to know. I used to steel on the bottom of plates when I worked a kitchen and the steel had mysteriously disappeared. I like the edge to be a bit rough so I actually get through stuff. [But now that I'm old and lazy I rarely even bother to strop, just touch up w. a very smooth pocket hard stone.]

A nice way to whet the stone if you have a reasonably porous cheap one is to dump it in water w. a little oil before getting to it. Keeps it moist a bit.

[Storm Crow]

Different polishes than Simichrome: Don't know. Try 'em! I'm sure that at least some of 'em will be just dandy. Like I said, this is just my way. Use it as a launching point to develop your own system. Remember, folks have been shaving long before Simichrome came around.

[Afromonk]

For stropping i use Autosol (thick large large micron chrome polish for cars) then Brasso which is a fine metal polish and then bare leather.
Reducing the weight of the knife on the strop every step, starting with just the weight of the blade for autosol and finishing on bare leather with no weight at all

[Paladin1]

Good post Storm Crow.

[lonewolf15002000]

A nice way to whet the stone if you have a reasonably porous cheap one is to dump it in water w. a little oil before getting to it. Keeps it moist a bit.

I was always told that if you start a stone with water or oil to whet it you want to continue using the same medium rather then combining or switching between the 2 with each sharpening. Is this something I was told incorrectly Sealegs/Storm Crow (since you both know a lot more then I)? Or is there some actual merit to the information?

[Sealegs]

I was always told that if you start a stone with water or oil to whet it you want to continue using the same medium rather then combining or switching between the 2 with each sharpening. Is this something I was told incorrectly Sealegs/Storm Crow (since you both know a lot more then I)? Or is there some actual merit to the information?

I have no idea, I've switched often on stones and bone both at the same time and the knives get sharp.. But maybe they could get sharp faster? Anyone have any idea on this?

One thing I do know is washing the stones post sharpening is very good practice. You can clog up the pores otherwise, which is bad if it's a fine grit stone.